I ate alone for a month. Then someone sat down next to me.

I always sat in the same spot. Corner of the cafeteria. Facing the wall. I didn't want people to see me alone. I didn't want them to wonder why I had no one to sit with.

One day, a girl sat across from me. She said she'd seen me there every day. She was new too. Transfer from Houston. Also eating alone. Also not knowing anyone.

We're not best friends. We don't talk about deep things. We eat. We study. We don't have to pretend.

I'm still scared to go back to the photography club. But I'm not eating alone anymore. That's something.

This made me tear up. I ate alone for my entire first semester. I got good at it. I told myself I preferred it.

Then a guy from my psych class sat down. We're roommates now.

The fear of being seen alone is so real. But the person who sits down? They're not judging you. They're also alone. They're also scared.

You found each other. That's beautiful.